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Wednesday, 27 January 2010

The Coal Porters (UK), who claim to be the world’s first alternative bluegrass band, launched their latest album, Durango (Prima Records, distributed in the UK by Proper and in the USA by Burnside) with a party at the Arts Theatre Club, in London’s West End, on 25 January.

Durango is the Coal Porters’ ninth album – although the band’s been through a number of incarnations since it was formed in Los Angeles back in the late 'eighties. The new album was recorded in the southern Colorado town bearing the same name and was produced by the legendary Ed Stasium, who has worked with the Ramones, Talking Heads, Gladys Knight, and Mick Jagger.

Naturally, their set was almost completely made up from tracks on the new album, with the foot-stomping 'Roadkill breakdown', the very moving 'Permanent twilight' and 'No more chains' being highlights among their own original material along with a cover of the Undertones’ 'Teenage kicks'.